TRIPLE CALL DUCK SPECTACULAR

Back in 1997 the British Call Duck Club, a specialist breed club to look after the interests of these diminutive ducks, was launched at Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society’s County Show.

At this inaugural event held that August, 185 were on display. However, on Saturday, November 18, all records are set to be broken when the Call Club’s 20th anniversary club show is to be held as a stand-alone event, again at the County Showground but in Brithdir Hall rather than in a marquee.

No fewer than 700-plus of these ducks, a bantam breed raised primarily for decoration or as pets, should be on display. Furthermore, no single breed of duck has ever attracted such an entry in Britain before.

Dyfed Poultry Society’s committee is to host the proceedings.

Secretary Alun Davies said: "This is to be a triple call duck spectacular encompassing the prestigious club show (equivalent to the Crufts of the duck world) a sale section and an auction of call ducks.

"All entries are expected to be penned by 12 noon with the sale section to commence at 12.05pm, judging of the club show at 12.15pm and auction at 2.15pm.

"An innovation is that call ducks entered for the auction may be exhibited beforehand in the club show prior to getting transferred over to their auction pens. This should ensure the quality of the birds forward."

At 3pm the auction of calls will be suspended while the auction of a commissioned painting of call ducks will take place with the auction of live exhibits to resume once the painting has been auctioned.

"Championship row will have seen nothing like it ever," said Alan. "Planned to be over 100 feet long, every best of colour of call duck will be displayed. Besides this, every class will be labelled giving the necessary information needed to identify and inform all onlookers as to the Colour in front of them. "Exhibitors form all four countries of Britain have submitted entries with some travelling from the north of Scotland and over the Irish Sea from Northern Ireland."

These cute little ducks were known as decoy ducks a century or more ago. They were termed so because they were used to decoy wildfowl to land on a lake so they could be trapped in purpose built duck decoys, or even shot.

It is believed they originated in Holland before they were imported to the Norfolk Fens at least two centuries ago. Nowadays they are extremely popular either as show specimens or simply kept as pets.